Cozying up to the Chinese will not do Canada any good

China’s ambassador to Canada made the rounds last month in an attempt to sell Canadians on his country’s virtuous intentions.

“China regards Canada as a friend, as always,” Wang Di told the Canadian Press news service in one of several meetings he held with major media outlets and industry groups.

“China is Canada’s opportunity, not Canada’s threat.”

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One of Wang’s main themes in this peace offensive is that Canada and China should join together to fight off the “bullying” United States.

It’s true that the Americans have been less than friendly of late, whether it be waging economic warfare or threatening our sovereignty.

Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau once said that being the U.S’s neighbour was like sleeping with an elephant.

“No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt,” he said.

Today, however, dealing with the country is more like facing down an unpredictable rattlesnake, never knowing when or where it might strike.

However, the notion that China is a peaceable and reasonable ally that can help us push back against this threat is ludicrous.

The U.S. is going through a dark phase right now — one that we hope it may eventually outgrow.

China, on the other hand, has a long history of throwing its weight around when trying to force its will on smaller countries.

For China to accuse the U.S. of bullying is hypocrisy of the highest order.

There are countless examples of China’s own bullying behaviour, including:

• Imposing trade sanctions on Norwegian salmon exports after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a Chinese dissident.
• Economic attacks on Australia when it dared suggest an investigation be held into China’s possible role in the global spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Canada has its own history with this kind of behaviour, with even more tragic consequences on an individual level.

When our country responded to an extradition request from the U.S. in 2019 and placed Chinese business executive Ming Wanzhou under house arrest, China responded with a ruthless hammer.

Not only did it slap restrictions on canola imports but also arrested two Canadians — Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — and imprisoned them under harsh conditions for 1,020 days.

And this is the country we want to trust with our national well-being?

As well, while managing our relationship with the U.S. is no picnic right now, we wonder what would happen if Canada did decide to cozy up to the Chinese.

It could make the current relationship look like a walk in the park.

Granted, the opportunities presented by trade with the Asian giant are significant and can’t be ignored, but trading with a bully is one thing; developing a cozy alliance with it in order to protect ourselves from another bully is sheer folly.

Trading with Europe and the United Kingdom has its own problems, particularly when it comes to unfair trade barriers based on questionable public health concerns.

However, developing closer relationships with them in an effort to create a united front against the U.S. makes much more sense than climbing into bed with a threat that is even worse than what’s posed by the Americans.

Thanks, China, but no thanks.

Karen Briere, Bruce Dyck, Robin Booker, Paul Yanko and Laura Rance collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.

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